You Belong With Me
by ftb-churro
Summary: My first Ishihime fanfiction! 2 different worlds merged into one...A typical love story but not that ordinary either...Would the glass windows break so that the two of us would meet face to face? Chapter 9 UP! please read and review...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach – whatever would be related to it. *sighs***

**A/N: My first Ishihime fanfic… It's very short but I'll try to update as soon as my exams are over…Hope you'll like it… Please review! **

**Prologue**

Ishida Uryuu, a not so average student at Karakura High School (KHS). It's in a sense wherein he was considered as the most intelligent scholar in the whole school. He was quite proud, to say the least, about this "label" they have given him; even to a certain extent that most of them call him "eyeglass man" or the usual "nerd".

Inoue Orihime, another not so average student at KHS. She had what every other girl dreams to be – that is, being head of the cheerleading squad and the most popular girl in the whole campus. Despite her status, she was a simple girl and a very kind one. She was used to being around with everyone and you can easily approach to ask for something or simply talk.

What they didn't know is that these two people, with two different lives inside the school, is that they were neighbors with their glass window as a medium and their notepads as some sort of communication.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Konnichiwa! So this is the second chapter of the story…Still short just like the last time but I tend to make it this way (unless I'm in hyper-writing mode *grins widely*)… Anyway, please enjoy reading! Don't forget to review!**

**First Night**

HELLO!

A 5-letter word was written in blue pentel pen with Uryuu's right hand so that the girl next dorr would see it in her galss window.

HI ISHIDA-KUN!

These words were written on her pink sketchpad with a smile on her face. She flipped the page to write a new one, MAY I COME OVER? 

Uryuu's face was tint with red but nodded in agreement. After all, their houses are very near to each other, making the fence below as the only division.

"I'm sorry if I bothered you, I like to cram rather than go advanced reading!" Orihime said in her cheerful tone, wearing a long-sleeve night gown down to her kneesd as she positioned herself at the edge of his window.

_As expected from Orihime as a cheerleader_, Uryyu thought and led her like any gentleman would to accompany her as she jumped inside. However, she slipped a bit that made Uryuu's arms extend out to her to break her fall. They both stared for a few minutes on a very awkward position (Orihime was on top of him) then they both separated swiftly with embarrassment.

"I'm really clumsy sometimes."

"No you're not, why would you not be the cheerleader captain, Inoue-san?"

"Heh?! I only became the captain because no one volunteered to so they voted for me! It's not my fault!" Orihime's brown eyes shrunk, her brows furrowed and her lips pouted.

Uryuu, feeling a bit tired of his kneeling position, stood up and continued to read on his desk. "Alright, I understand. So what would you do here? I can't possibly entertain you at the moment…"

Orihime jumped in surprise like nothing happened earlier, "Oh yeah, can I just roam around your room and talk? I'm bored."

"If you insist, I'll listen while I study." Uryuu smiled at her then opened his algebra book. Exams may be 2 weeks away but he just gotta read to be better and for the assumption that there might be surprise quiz or a seatwork.

"Thank you Ishida-kun. You're truly something! So, where should I start?" Orihime was delighted at his short reply and began to tell him stories of the happenings that occurred on that day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach – whatever would be related to it. *sighs***

**A/N: Sorry if this was late…nope, I mean TOO late.. ^^' I guess I focused on a fic for a contest in Bleach Asylum… No worries; to make it up, I'll try to update as soon as I can… (First semester is over anyway)**

**I think this is enough for another chapter...It's not that short anymore, right? :o**

**At the Rooftop**

His eyes were heavy and was about to close for good. He didn't sleep well last night. Who would've thought that aside from studying, Orihime's voice echoes through his dreams that made him sleep for like, 3 hours? After telling him stories last night, she left and bid him goodnight; the worst part is that she left early and yet it's as if she continues to exist in his room. _How could I concentrate now?_ He thought. Uryuu sighed and continued to his usual daily routine.

Karakura high school's main bell rang as it strikes at 12 noon. Students come and go at the canteen and some temporarily go out to eat outside the campus. The rest are walking together with their friends at their respective homes since there are no more afternoon classes.

Uryuu had just finished a 50-point quiz in algebra; it wasn't that hard, really, and he was able to concentrate well – there were slight of her giggles but the test went on smoothly. He stretched out a bit from his sitting position and stood to eat at the rooftop, alone.

He observed his surroundings as he went upstairs – classrooms were almost empty and several just walk around the corridors simply chatting, if not eating. He opened the door that leads to the place where the wind gently slaps his skin and blows his black hair into the west direction.

Suddenly, his sense of peacefulness was disturbed from a girl who was also enjoying the privilege of being carried by the wind. Her long brown hair together with her uniform, flaps with it. She opened her eyes afterwards – they were hazy-brown – and a smile emerged from her red lips. He couldn't help but gasped at her gesture for it reminded him of someone he loved, his mother.

From there, his voice was raised to a question unexpectedly, "Uhm, are you alright? Why are you alone?"

She turned around, "What are you saying? I should ask you the same thing."

"Well that's…" he was sweating a lot but his face reddened when her face was an inch away from his.

"It's okay if you don't have to answer. I'm just messing around." She quickly noticed his lunch box and grabbed hers from the edge of the rooftop, "Let's eat together, if you don't mind."

Uryuu simply nodded his head as he took a step back from the woman.

As the two students sat together, they simply ate their lunch in silence until she broke, "The truth is…I'm not really okay. I just broke up from my boyfriend, Jin. I thought he was the one but everything was nothing but a lie. It turns out that he was just using me for his personal gain. Seriously, like I care, he is not that popular among the ladies so he'll probably have his _karma_."

"I see."

"Heh?! I just told you why I'm depressed and you'll answer, 'I see'?" She pouted back at him and continued her lunch.

He took his last bite and replied, "It's not what I meant. It's kinda amusing that you believe in _karma._ Anyway, I think what you did was right. No man should be like that to a pretty lady like you. Don't worry; this is somewhat childish but I'm sure you'll find someone who can respect and take care of you someday."

She closed the lid of her lunch box and stood, "You mean love."

He followed suit, "Ah yeah, of course."

The woman went before the door and asked, "I forgot, May I know your name, blue eyes?"

Uryuu was a bit irritated with his 'nickname', "Don't call me that, I'm Ishida Uryuu. How about you?"

She opened the door and almost went inside towards her room downstairs as the bell rang for the next class, "I'm Soma Yoshino."

When she trudged along the stairs, she couldn't help but reminisce on what Ishida Uryuu said. If what he said is true, maybe she had found the answer to that.

_Ishida Uryuu-kun…_

**A/N: Hope you like it! Oh and just a note, if you don't know what "karma" means, then just search it over…I'm too lazy…-_-**

**Do take time to review; I would be most delighted! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach – whatever would be related to it. *sighs***

**A/N: **sorry for the late update, but I would like to do it now since I might end it up delayed (for so long…) as you can see, the previous chapter was not about IshiHime but more on Uryuu's relationship with Yoshino… After reading this one though, you'll see another side of her… *grins evilly*

Please enjoy and don't forget to review.

**This Feeling**

Inoue finished her sweet lunch with her friends in the school cafeteria. The sponge cake truly hits the spot! She's not really going on a diet for she can't afford to stay away from sweets – it's her favorite. On the contrary, she does not want to go fat either so she still eats light (but sweet) snacks. She still has to welcome their new member of their squad. Inoue skipped happily along the corridors and bumped with a man. "Ouch! That hurts…"

"Are you alright, Inoue-san?"

_That voice, it's Ishida-kun!_ "I'm fine, don't worry." She stood brushing her uniform from any dirt that she got from the bump.

"Okay if you say so. I'll see you later then." He ran past her and was gone in a second. Inoue blinked her eyes for a second and shrugged as she proceeds to her destination.

_Why is he in a hurry?_

Members from the squad were doing their afternoon stretches for the preparation and stopped as their captain approached them. She clasped her hands to her waist, then looked at the slim figured cheerleader with a brown hair that's almost in the same length as hers. "You must be the new member right?"

She turned around and nodded. Inoue went near her and shouted to catch the rest of the squad's attention. "Everyone, this is our new member of the team, Soma Yoshino-san." Yoshino bowed down and gave her regards to everyone, "Nice to meet you all." Afterwards, they started to practice their cheer – it would be a week from now until the school's sports fest comes.

Ishida was heaving up and down finding Yoshino. He looked everywhere but she was nowhere to be found. As he ran, he has in his hand a silver bracelet and a claw connected together by a chain. It seems that she had left it on top of the rooftop when they were having their lunch. He doesn't know on why is he being like this but when her smile reminded him of his mother, he couldn't help it. He was about to give up and plans to return it tomorrow, he saw her outside of the school. His vision didn't seem to comprehend that she was Inoue because he was down as fast as he can. He breathes heavily in front of the whole squad which had a little bit of murmurs here and there. He even heard some of them, "Why is he here?" "Wasn't he supposed to be studying?"

Inoue silenced them and spoke, "What is it, Ishida-kun?"

Ishida fixed his glasses, "Ah, yeah. Yoshino-san, you left this at the rooftop."

Yoshino smiled, "Oh! Thanks a lot! This is an important possession given by my family."

"Don't mention it. See you tomorrow."

As he waved goodbye, the squad swooned slightly before going back to their respective doings as if nothing happened. However, Inoue couldn't repress the feeling of disappointment when Ishida's eyes were focused on Yoshino. She slapped both of her cheeks with her hands lightly. What was she thinking? Ishida just returned something she left at the rooftop? If that's the case, what did they do there? How come his eyes shine more around her? Her mind was full of questions that are left unanswered unless she confronts either of them. But why was she like this though? Was she jealous?


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. *sighs*

* * *

**Doubtful Relations**

"You should be careful about Yoshino-san." Orihime sighed as she ruffled through the papers to find her biology notes. She brought them inside his house, in his room simply because doing this by herself was no fun and well, she was bothered. She just needed to tell Uryuu about what she saw this day.

"What are you talking about?" He said in monotone, too busy doing his homework, as always.

"Nothing really, I'm warning you, that's all."

"Oh. Don't worry, she's nice. You got test tomorrow?"

She got up from his bed and stretched out a few kinks before gathering the papers she managed to find as a reviewer. "Yeah, The subject is quite hard so I need to study hard for the night. I'll head out now."

Uryuu swiveled his computer chair to see her going back, "Alright. Uhm, I wanted to ask, you're friends with Yoshino but you sounded troubled on what you told me earlier. Is there something wro–" _He paused – no, he was about to end his sentence but stopped when he saw her eyes. Her deep, brown eyes reflecting worry or the urge of telling the truth. Wait, what? Truth? Did she really saw something unpleasant about Yoshino? No, it can't be. She fluttered her eyes that changed her expression instantly and smiled as she went back to her room. He knew something was wrong. He always knew. He wanted to know what she wanted to tell him but he restrained himself not to do so. I'm sure she'll tell me…_

Thirty minutes before midnight when she had finished reviewing. It was tiresome, bit she's ready. However, she had spent the time (30 minutes) thinking about what happened. She clearly saw it all. No one noticed except her. The events flashed and played like a movie in a loop motion inside her mind. It even ended up in her dreams unexpectedly as she dozed off.

_Yoshino wrapped her arms around his waist, "Great, I'm really happy for you. Don't worry, I'll cheer you with so much energy as you play, okay?" Uryuu had to be speechless at that and grimaced afterwards. Orihime stepped in front of the crowd, curious about all the commotion. As she found out that it was about Uryuu, she wanted to see as she can congratulate him. Unfortunately, she saw him with the dark brown-haired woman whe her eyes traveled around to find him. However, it was not really that made her gasped; (well, she was surprised to see them in that position but that wasn't the point, for now) Orihime saw her face wearing an evil grin and constricted eyes, focusing on a certain someone. She tried to spot that 'someone' and saw him: Jin Kariya. Jin was just looking at her with a rigor expression although he couldn't hide his fist clenching at the side. She returned her gaze back at Yoshino and saw her smile grew as if she was teasing him to do something. So that's it, Inoue thought as she helf her left arm with her right hand as if retreating from a war. _

_What should I do? I don't want to hurt Ishida-kin's feelings…But if I pull back like this… I might end up losing him._

Ishida laid back on his bed with both of his hands resting under his head staring blankly at the ceiling. Sometimes, he couldn't help but ask himself on why does he have to stumble upon this amorous feelings. What's worse is that he was baffled now and it's not helping him to focus in his academicals than before. He really liked Inoue-san ever since, there's no doubt about that; nevertheless, he wanted to be with friends with her for there's no telling if she feels the same to him, not to mention that she was deeply infatuated to his friend, Kurosaki. She seemed to move on though; she would still talk about him but her face wasn't the likes of before. Lastly, he admitted that his bond with Yoshino-san was special. It's just that he didn't know if he was feeling the same thing as Inoue-san's. Ishida shook his head to clear out that last thought. _No, she was just special because I remembered my mother every time she smiles. _

_Yeah, that was it. _

_I think._

* * *

**A/N:** Hoped you like it. I just didn't have the guts to update the story since the story was like left on a deserted island :/

But I wanted to finish this so I'm not abandoning it. It's kinda awful if a story is just left out there, hanging. I'm still working on the coming chapters since I don't how I'll end it but don't worry ^_^

Please don't forget to review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: *blocks the daggers fast approaching towards her* I'm so sorry! I had a fic hiatus after finishing my ByaRuki fic, Cerise and my Ichiruki fic, Moments of love… or somehow, a writer's block as well, so again, I apologize! I'll try to update as early as possible so I can finish it! Hope you'll enjoy this chapter and please don't forget to review!!! 3

**Reach Out**

"Hime-chan!!!" Chizuru abruptly hugged Orihime as she opened the door to enter her next class. A whine was heard from her afterwards when Tatsuki puched her, "Cone on Tatsuki, I only wanted to ask if she's free for the dance –"

"NO FRIGGIN' WAY!"

The redhead girl blinked her eyes in confusion so she asked her best friend, "What does she mean actually, Tatsuki-chan?"

She sat down beside her and sighed, "Have you forgotten? There will be a dance party the day after the football game."

She was shocked from what she said – she totally had forgotten about it, given that she has other things in mind. "Oh dear, you're right!" Tatsuki then patted her head gently, "Don't worry about it; you can always prepare tomorrow or so, if you wanted to go, anyway."

"Thank you, Tatsuki-chan."

The black-haired girl noticed her slight gloomy face, "Is there something wrong Orihime?"

She replied with a weak smile, "It's nothing. I'm just worried about Ishida-kun."

Her friend raised her eyebrow, "How so?"

She hid her face under her arms, "I don't want Ishida-kun to get hurt because of Yoshino-san."

"Well, if you truly don't want that to happen, I'm sure he can realize that; be a friend to him when that time comes, okay?"

Orihime lifted her head and gazed at Tatsuki's supportive eyes; all she can answer was an expression of amusement to her dearest friend.

* * *

_Tonight is the night. They're all out there, supporting us all the way; we musn't lose! _ Ishida's thoughts wandered in his mind and he was snapped back as their coach bids them good luck and their members shouted their team's name. Then, they ran outside the field listening to their screaming 'fans'. He looked from the crowd and his eyes spotted the two people waving at him; the first one was Orihime, who was very enthusiastic and the other was Yoshino who was simply smiling. All he can do was to wave back to the both of them without fixating his pupils to either one of them. He just felt so confused right now; it's frustrating. As his mind begins to wander again, he was brought back to reality when he heard the coach to gather around him, one last time. The game is about to begin.

Moments later:

"_Goal!" said the referee after he blew his whistle just in time to declare that the game's over. She couldn't believe it; Ishida just kicked the ball with force and boom! Their team won the game! She and her fellow cheerleaders jumped up and down without caring about doing their victory cheer instead. It was beyond her expectations after what happened several minutes ago: _

_Jin Kariya approached Yoshino just before the final set. They talked for a bit, in which she didn't comprehend for she was a few meters away and then suddenly boasted loudly that he will win their team to the regionals. She, in turn, had to giggle at him that made Ishida feel abashed. He might've thought that she's supporting him all throughout only to find out that she was actually flirting to get what she really wants: Jin's attention and more popularity, probably. Those things made Orihime groan and went to his getting-sad friend. "Ishida-kun, I…" She can't find the words to say; what would she say? "Uhm, about Yoshino–" _

"_It's okay. You don't need to worry. It's just that I don't get on why I feel like this but I don't mind them now. Thank you, Inoue-san. Maybe I should've listened to you in the first place." _

_He then distanced himself away from the team for a while before re-appearing again in time for the final game. She watched him run around with all his strength to try getting the ball from their opponent. Jin also there, wanted to do the same thing; unfortunately, Ishida's concentration won over Jin's cockiness to kick the ball away from the other player and turned it around to be kicked continuously towards their net. Afterwards, he met his foot with the soccer ball in full power giving the goal keeper a hard time to block it or even catch it. It was too fast._

The head cheerleader felt satisfied on how all these events turned out. She can still see Jin's pissed face as he left the field even though they've won. Yoshino, on the other hand, simply gaped at what happened and then left the field also. Right now, she needed to be with him; the only person he can actually look forward to seeing, at least –or what she thinks– is her.

**A/N:** I don't know much about soccer but do enlighten me if there is something wrong. If there are spelling/grammar mistakes encountered, please do bear with me. 'Till next chapter! And please review! ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything Bleach-related. *sighs*

**A/N: **As promised, I'll update in less than a week… So here it is, Chapter 7. Sorry if there would me mistakes you might meet while reading but I still hope a lot that you enjoy reading this one! ^_^

**Get Back**

Party poppers, one by one, popped as confetti floated down the players' heads. A banner saying 'Congratulations' hang above them as they shout with joy in their recent victory in the soccer game last night. The whole student body was so enthusiastic with the said result even if others haven't got to watch it. The school is proud of them and everyone's happy, well except for one.

Yoshino lay back to her seat as she watched the students together joining the winning team gathered in front of the school building. She was still all out for Jin–he had gotten over the whole thing and promised to knock Ishida out of his position and shall reign in their team again in the next game–but she hadn't got what she wanted: popularity. She was almost to the top, oh yes she was, if it wasn't for that night. She thought that Jin would still garner the team's victory. Looks like the tables turned for her; Ishida won. She admitted that she "used" him, to get to Jin which was one of her reasons, though she had a good time with except for his "nerdy" moments. He was a bit like that Inoue girl, excluding the fact that she is their head cheerleader – wait. That's it. If she can kick Inoue's spot as their head captain, then maybe she can accomplish that second agenda. But how? There has to be an opportunity for this plan to kick in, somehow.

* * *

"Congratulations, Ishida-kun." The redhead girl told the man beside him in a merry voice. He replied sheepishly, "You said that for a couple of times now."

"I'm sorry but I can't help myself. I'm really, really happy for you! But aren't you going to join the grand celebration?"

"It's okay. They've already praised me enough; it's fine to celebrate even without the 'victor', as they call it."

They were walking towards the library when her phone rang, "Hello?" The person on the other line shouted, "Where are you Orihime-san? Didn't you tell us that we're going to practice today?"

She gasped at the mouthpiece and a sweat drop somehow appeared on the side of her forehead, "I'm sorry, looks like I forgot about that –"

"You forgot!? Cheerleading competition is in a month! Orihime…" the voice groaned in frustration.

Inoue shrugged it off and answered directly, "Please let Yoshino-san take over for a while; I'll practice with you guys later in the afternoon, 'kay?"

She listened to the sound of air that rushed out of the person's mouth, "Fine. You should finish everything so that you can lead us later, see ya." Her phone now produces a dial tone then she closed it. "Sorry about that, Ishida-kun… to be honest, I'm still working on a routine but it still needs more details. I don't want to face them with nothing on my hands or mind, rather. Whatever."

He smiled in return, "I understand. I'm glad that you were able to balance these things."

She stopped in her tracks, "No, it's hard. I love cheerleading and studying. Even so, I can't give a hundred percent for each. It's like someone's telling me to prioritize one over the other."

Ishida pulled his glasses up a bit and then silence welcomed them both as they stood together, only hearing the light breezes around them. He knew how hard it is for Orihime to handle the two things she loves doing, despite the fact that he had just said the opposite. Sometimes, he would smack himself for being such an idiot. Still, he knew that she can; it's just that when you're physically tired, you barely move your body once you bounce on to your bed or when you're stressed with some deadlines, she had no choice but to struggle her body to work for the sake of passing your academics. He can see it through the glass window when her curtains are not yet closed, from her sluggish movement in some moments, spending her vacant time to take a nap at her desk or her eye bags slowly getting darker for consecutive non-stop late studying. Her teammates can't see it but he perfectly can. This was not the same as his case since his abilities and not being the head captain –to his relief– made his coach train him in less than two hours, which does not affect his schedule. If only he could help her to at least take a rest or it may sound difficult and could probably hurt her, if he would say that she should just quit the squad. At least, if she sacrificed her time for studies, something good will come out of it unlike the latter – but not that he underestimates that sport, of course not.

"Come on, let's go have a snack first, my treat."

"Heh?! Why did you say that all of a sudden?" She was shocked that he was the first one to speak; she thought that they were lost in thought a few minutes ago and would maybe remain like that.

"Nothing, I suppose. But I do remember what you did before, so I should do something as a sign of gratitude. Thanks again, Inoue-san."

* * *

"Yoshino-san if you don't mind, could you take over the squad, Orihime can't make it this time. After all, your skill is at par with Orihime's anyway." Yoshino responded back to the person's disappointing form, "Okaay..." She went beside her and placed her hand to her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'm sure Inoue-san will be with us later."

"I know that but she's been that way lately, I'm not sure if we can win if she's absent all the time."

One of the cheerleaders spoke from behind, "I would like to speak in behalf of the other members, I know it maybe offending but she's right. She's our captain and captains don't leave the other members behind." They all nodded in agreement and whispered other things. Yoshino, on the other hand, silenced them as she went forward to the center, "I'm certain that there are reasons why Inoue-san would be like that. However, in this current predicament, there's only one thing to do: we must talk to her on whether she's into this or not."

The rest of the cheerleaders reacted positively with her suggestion. _Looks like this is the opportunity I'm wondering about. Let's see now Orihime, if you can take this one well on your own._ She grinned in amusement but snickered at the back of her mind.

**A/N: **Okay, this story is good for 10 but I haven't written the last 3 yet… I did manage to make a chapter title for each so I'll give you a preview… I can't promise you to update early again but I'll still try; this is my first Ishihime fanfic after all.

Chapter 8: Love Sidestory: Pink Letter (a filler chapter)

Chapter 9: Expected Realizations

Chapter 10: Night of Nights

Well, that's it for now. Tune in to the next one soon!

xoxo,

ftb-churro


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Okay, I know, February had passed by a long time ago. And yeah, whatever. It's late. Still, I hope you'll enjoy reading this somewhat ficlet… I'll get back on the story ASAP. Thanks to those who reviewed this story! 3 And, Please don't forget to review! ^____^

**Chapter 8**

**Love Side story: The day of Hearts**

Ishida woke up early than what he had expected. When he looked at the calendar, the day "14" was encircled in red ink. It has 'Valentines' day' written on it in Japanese. He sighed in realization; however, it always appears to be like an ordinary day for him. Well, except for girls: they might've waked up earlier than him preparing chocolates, or rather, buying them to convenient stores. Speaking of girls, he should greet the one next door.

Orihime.

He opened the curtains of his bedroom window and light blinded him for a moment. He glided the said glass material and extended his arm to be able to knock at Inoue's window. As he finished knocking a few times and returned to his room, the auburn-haired girl swayed her pink curtain aside as she rubbed her eyes. Just like him, today is an ordinary one for her but she'll still greet her classmates and friends. Orihime looked up at Ishida and she saw him holding his pad with words, 'Happy Valentines' Day!'

She smiled softly and hurriedly began to write the greeting on her pad as well, with a smiley face beside it. She flipped it to a new page and wrote, 'What are you going to do today? It's Sunday…'

His azure eyes widened with the fact that he had totally missed to look at the day at his calendar. Sunday, no classes.

He gazed at her and saw her giggling from his expression but he had just to accept that mistake and simply beamed. He turned over to the next page and wrote, 'Nothing, really. But…' He was becoming tense as he wrote to the next one, the question he wanted to ask, 'could we go out somewhere today?'

He hid his eyes under his glasses and shifted his head in another direction, avoiding looking at her face. They were both welcomed with a gentle breeze and silence for a minute before he was met with no one. She vanished; she must've been shock with the sudden proposal.

I guess that means a NO.

He left from the window with disappointment from his face; even so, he'll still go out. Get some fresh air and just walk around, the usual. Although, he was planning to show Inoue to an art museum or stroll together around the park.

Maybe some other time… and not during this kind of occasions.

* * *

Ishida went out of his house, several minutes after. He was wearing a blue coat with a white polo shirt underneath and white pants to go with it. As he turned around after locking the door, he gasped in surprised when she suddenly appeared in front of him. She was tapping her right foot covered by a green boot and his eyes glanced at her simple, yet cute outfit: it was a white trench coat covering her entire body, stopping before her knees – with something else beneath it, but he couldn't tell what it is. Her face was amusing in his opinion, for she was pouting in a not-so-serious way.

_Why was she here?_

He began to mumble, "Inoue-san… I thought you're not –"

She replied enthusiastically, cutting him off, "Who told you that Ishida-kun? Did you forget? Silence means YES, you know. You just startled me a bit so I quickly went to the bathroom to get ready. I'm sorry, ne, Ishida-kun…"

He fixed the rim of his glasses once more and smiled widely, "We'll be heading to the arts museum. Well then, let's go?"

Inoue nodded back and side by side, they spent Valentines' day joyfully.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello there! It's been weeks since I last updated this one... Don't worry, after this, I'll upload the last chapter as soon as my exams are over... xD I hope you'll enjoy reading!!!**

**

* * *

Realizations?**

The KHS cheerleading team had just finished practicing their main routine to give further polish to it and probably, make it more lively than ever before. After all, the final game to enter the national tournament is fast approaching. The crowd wouldn't be much participating with so much energy if it wasn't for their encouragement as well. They all have to give their best so at least that their players would be imparted with it to win by their shouts, kicks, dance steps and their 'stunts', most of all.

Inoue smiled to her fellow cheerleaders, "That was great; everybody take five!" The rest followed suit, except for Yoshino and several other cheerios. The auburn-haired girl would want to roll her eyes but she just did it, mentally. Instead, she just asked them simply, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with our routine?"

Yoshino retorted in a somewhat serious-yet-deadly tone, a completely different one from before, "Yes, there are. Everything, including the part that you're actually the team captain."

Inoue hated being spoken at like this, she felt herself quivering but she had to hold it for a while; Tatsuki would always tell her to be strong and so, she must.

"Why?" she stated, her voice strangled at the end.

"Don't ask me that question, you can answer that by yourself! The other members don't like the fact that you're not attending to our practices because you were too busy studying!"

Inoue gaped for a second but responded in defense, "Of course I have to study, Yoshino-san! Everyone should be!"

One of the cheerleaders on Yoshino's side spoke, "We know that Inoue-san; we understood how is it to be an honored student. However, our point is just that we wanted to cheer more and you probably wanted to do both. But we can't roll that way, you have to....choose."

Inoue hid her brown eyes, almost filled with tears at the corners. She felt so small but somehow, t_hey're right.....still, I've worked hard to reach where I am now! I don't want to pick one..._She was beginning to clench her fist, trying to hold back. She's not into fighting especially to her friends. She turned around and began to tramp slowly away from them.

_Looks like I don't have a choice right now._

She stopped and spoke; "Ok then; From now on, Yoshino will be the new captain of the new cheerleading team."

She shook her head to get rid of her tears slowly coming out she turned her head aside at Yoshino and face her with a weak beam, "I'm counting on you, Yoshino-san." Afterwards, Inoue started to run away.

Yoshino simply grinned. _It just gets better and better...._

_

* * *

_

**Yoshino:** I did it. I'm the new head cheerleader. And now, to put an end to all of this, I must do the final step. As I change back to school uniform clothes, I hurriedly went to find Ishida Uryuu. I'm sure, that girl would be running towards him since she is so- what is the right word? Oh, right! -weak. However, no doubt she would be spending by herself to think. Luckily, I found him on the clinic, all by himself. I asked him nicely as I would always do, "Why are you here and alone? Did you hurt yourself at practice?"

The man replied in a monotonous tone, "I should ask you instead Yoshino-san. Why did you go here? You don't seem to have an injury and fatal wound-and let me say you this , a broken nail is not a fatal injury."

I never thought that he'll be like this. He had just insulted me. Holding my annoyance, I recomposed myself as if not hearing anything from him and said, "Heh?... Are you still angry with me up to now, Ishida-kun?" I voiced his name in a singy- songy voice.

His tone remained consistent, "No, not really. So, if you have some business here, you should do it already."

I only smiled at him ready to execute her plan, "With pleasure, Ishida-kun."

* * *

Ishida was about to go out as he finished aiding himself with his wounded knee when he was suddenly pushed by Yoshino onto the clinic bed. He was surprised at first was about to utter what was going on but instead, he opened his mouth to let out a wince when a hand pressed on his newly covered wound. After that, Yoshino climbed atop of him and took the opportunity to almost close her lips with his. His eyes widened a fraction as it gets closer.

_Why the heck is she doing this?_

Suddenly, he heard a door being opened. He didn't know if his eyes can widen more that what they are a few seconds ago.

_Inoue-san..._

_

* * *

_

Inoue had never felt so broken. This was worse than failing grades, making a bad performance in cheerleading or seeing Ichigo and Rukia together before. She just wanted to go to the clinic to get some rest after all the tantrums she got from Yoshino and the others and there, her eyes saw what made her want to break into little pieces: she saw Yoshino on top of Ishida, about to kiss. She didn't even know why but it sure as hell hurts.

She muttered in a slight panicked voice, "I...I'm sorry if I had disturbed you!" and shut the door at once. From there, she ran fast.

She didn't care if students would get in the way, she only wanted to ran home as soon as possible.

**A/N: Well, there you go... Please don't forget to review!!! ^_^**


	10. Chapter 10

**"RUKIA"**

Akiru had complied a group of documents needed to be used for a certain meeting later this afternoon: the ones she hadn't finished because of his boss's actions. Just thinking about last night makes her head throb; it's like she has been put on pressure by a definite force-- Takahashi's force, to be exact. She didn't expect Kurosaki to get drunk..just because she left. In addition, he said that she was the reason that his amber eyes looked more delightful and determined than before. From there, her curiosity about this 'Rukia' person grew even more to the point that she'll ask him about her today.

"Where the heck is he?" she mumbled angrily, tapping her foot impatiently.

After a few minutes, he had finally came. Ichigo quickly sat onto his chair, massaging his forehead afterwards. "Sorry, my head hurts a lot but today's meeting is mandatory so here I am. Were you worried about me?" he playfully asked despite the pain, with a smirk on his face.

"I'm not worried, I only thought of a way to say in front of those people on why you'll not make it, since I can't afford to say that you had a hang-over last night...Sir." she sneered back at him.

"Tch. Just get 2 analgesic tablets at the first-aid cabinet please."

When she handed the said medicine to her boss, her office telephone rang. She grabbed it, leaving Ichigo to medicate himself, "Kurosaki Ichigo-san's office, this is Sayuri Akiru speaking. How may I help you?"

The other line answered, "Akiru-sama? This is Takahashi. I called to inform you that for the 'grand' meeting, the owner of the company, Kuchiki Byakuya-sama, would be arriving to attend. That is all."

As Akiru brought it back down, she couldn't stop to let her fear rise from the pit of her stomach. She stammered, "K-Kuchiki...Byakuya...-s-sama...will be here?"

Ichigo shrugged at her stunned reaction for he knew this would be inevitable, "Yeah, that's a bit expected. Seriously, that guy really comes to catch me unprepared so that he can criticize me without holding back....or fire me."

She stopped stammering and bursted out her words at him, "Hey! Don't talk to him like that! He's the owner; show some respect!"

"Nah, we just don't like each other but we both have reasons and goals why this is established so he can't fire me. Besides, if he did Rukia will--"

He paused.

Was he saying that aloud? He was so occupied about the question that his answer was getting on a personal level: something that he doesn't want to brought out much yet. It must be because of this hang-over (which was gradually diminishing at a fast rate, thanks to the tablets).

"Sir?" she asked, wondering why he didn't continue his sentence.

..........

Hearing that name once more, she came a bit closer, "Uhm, who's Rukia?"

His eyes widened regarding her sudden question; nevertheless, he could share it to her; she is similar to her so maybe it won't be that hard.

_Get a grip of yourself and just tell her about Rukia._

He sighed, turned around from his seat by swiveling his chair, hiding his true expression as he started to tell her about Rukia, "Rukia...she's the one who changed my world. She is my life...my everything. She's this very small woman with a big attitude. She had helped me in so many ways that probably giving my life to her isn't enough. To be honest, we would bicker now and then but behind those are sincere feelings that we are able to understand. During those years, our friendship transcends into a whole new level and for me, being close friends isn't enough. So, I made my confession to her at this bridge, almost at the center of Karakura. I thought that she'll back away for she was really surprised...and in a blink of an eye, she hugged me, calling me a fool and saying she feels the same way,too. I was supposed to propose to her on that fateful night but... we had a fight. Then, I let my anger get the better of me and she...disappeared."

Akiru felt sad hearing his serious tone, yet with a high intonation; she asked dryly, "disappeared? Where to?"

Silenced followed.

Then, he began to stand up and barged out of the office, departing from her, who was standing idly. Realization then hit her: _why am I asking this things?Idiot. Of course his 'wounds' hasn't healed yet._

In less than a second, she followed him as reaching the main exit since she can't locate his form anymore, she asked Takahashi at the front desk, "Where did Ichigo go? Did you see him going out?"

He was shocked to hear his master's first name but ignored to even bother and replied in a quite panicked tone, "Yes, he did. Did something happen?"

Her eyes shifted away from his glance, "Nothing, really."

He knew that she's lying but told her instead, "Mostly, he would just get out to cool his head or take a break from work but...for this scenario, he could be in THAT place..."

"Where would that be?" she queried instantly, wanting to stop him from beating around the bush and go as fast as she can already.

"It's on the bridge, just by a river bank, almost at the center of the town." His answer made her gone abruptly to the said location.

* * *

Akiru didn't care about riding a taxi or using an express train whatsoever. For her, running is enough. She had so many things in her mind right now. Most of her thoughts consists of one thing and that she needs to apologize for asking too much questions just to ease her curiosity, without a care of the pain he might still be feeling up to this moment everytime it could be reminded again.

However, is it wrong to try to comfort him after all what he's been through?

No, it isn't.

She surmised that he could tell her at the right time, whenever, though. She was snapped back out of her thoughts when she spotted him on one side of the bridge. He was looking at the flowing river or probably, beyond it. His hands are on either side of his pockets of his pants and wearing only his white shirt , the suit lying on the ground.

"Ichigo!" she shouted and stopped running, breathing heavily, "Thank goodness, I found you!" As her normal respiration returned, she started walking towards him, "I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to. I shouldn't ask you those kind of questions that you're not ready to talk about. I really am sorry--"

"You don't need to. I didn't run in here because of that."

"You're lying."

"Okay, so maybe a bit... but each time that I remember her, I can't helped myself be guilty on what had happened to her. It's my FAULT!" He cried loudly at the last three words as he thrust a blow with the use of his fist to the solid structure.

Unexpectedly, Ichigo a punch on his head from the woman behind her. "What was that for dammit?"

Her hands were placed on the sides of her hips as she shouted at him furiously, "That was for feeling guilty when in fact that's not true!"

She gazed into his form and continued, "Sure, Rukia's family and friends might've blamed you, heck they'll even burn you to death for revenge and yet, they didn't,right? They all know that nothing will go out of it and I'm sure she wouldn't like that as well. Judging from what you described about her she might say something like this:"

She coughed pretentiously and made a deeper tone of her voice with a feminine touch to it nonetheless, "_Ichigo, don't make that face as if you're the reason for this incident_."

A strong wind streamed through them that made Akiru's tied hair in a bun loosen and then her jet black hair went down gently altogether. Unknownst to her, Ichigo was currently seeing her like that. Subsequently, she spoke, "_This is solely my own. I'm not so weak that you need to protect me always_."

Her voice went back to normal tone (which is still the same as when she pretended to be 'Rukia'), "or something like that, I guess."

Noticing her hair loosen down she muttered, "Oh shit, where's my clamp?"

Ichigo was still astonished at her words and even her face; there's no doubt that she's Rukia. Her hair is the same as Rukia's only a bit longer now than before. Moreover, a group of strands that formed her one bang in between her beautiful face appeared. He cursed himself on being dumb not to think of that possibility before.

Later, he noticed the said hair accessory that was just beside his left foot. In the brink of spotting it by her, he quietly picked it up and hid it inside his pocket, for the sake of letting her hair down like that for the whole day, or at least before the meeting.

He heard her mumbling, " Great...it's gone. Looks like I have to buy a new one."

"Akiru...Thanks." he said, smiling.

She flustered from the magic word, "I only scold you so there's nothing for you to give your gratitude. Besides, I better heal those wounds at your hand and maybe on your head before we meet up with Kuchiki-sama and the others at the conference."

"Yeah... let's go then."

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I'm not sure if I can update next week since we'll have our finals so I must focus on that.... Hope you enjoyed this chapter and well, it's getting interesting, isn't it? After all, Byakuya, Ichigo and 'Akiru' would be crossing paths on the next chapter... *grins*  
**

**See ya! ^___^**


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